Growing Guides: How to grow Scilla bulbs

Scilla are much loved for their blue-flowering spring squills. They should be planted in early fall in well draining soil. They prefer semi-shaded sites but will take full sun as long as the soil doesnt become dust dry in the summer or the bulbs will shrivel.

Scilla flowers are absolutely charming in bouquet. It will not hurt the plant to cut the flower, so don't hesitate if you prefer to enjoy the blooms in a vase.

1. In the Fall, choose a spot that gets quite a lot of light and has good soil drainage.

2. Planting scilla bulbs is fairly simple. You'll notice when you receive your bulbs that they look like mini onions and it will be easy to see that the spike should point upwards when planting.

3. Usually the rule of thumb when planting bulbs is that bulbs need at least 2 times their height of soil above them. Dig a 2 to 3 inch dee[ hole, drop the bulb into it (remember, spike points up!) and cover with soil.

4. Regarding spacing between bulbs, if planting in beds, leave approx 4 inches between each bulb. If you are planting in containers, you can cluster them a little closer together.

5. After planting, water well so that the soil above the bulbs settles.

6. Scilla bulbs will flower in the Spring. After the flowers die down, the plant can enjoy a warm rest period. You don't have to water too much during this rest period. Leaves will also die back and start to yellow. At this point, you can choose to tidy up the plant and remove the old leaves.